Each year millions of people visit Florida for the wide variety of tourist attractions our state offers. From beaches to amusement parks, there are seemingly endless reasons to visit the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, a recent visit to Florida by a group that included several children ended in tragedy.
According to reports, the fatal collision in question occurred on January 3 when a semi-truck traveling on Interstate 75 collided with an automobile, causing both vehicles to burst through the middle divider, slamming into a church van that was traveling in the opposite lane. The automobile became engulfed in flames. The force of the collision caused the van and a second semi-truck to collide with the semi-truck. There were five young children in the church van, and, tragically, all of them died in the collision. The children visiting Florida were from Louisiana and were reportedly on their way to visit Disney World.
The driver of the semi-truck died in the collision as well, as did the driver of the second semi-truck. Although there were no details in the initial reports as to why the semi-truck veered into oncoming traffic on the interstate, some of the reports indicate that the 59-year-old truck driver who was behind the wheel of the semi-truck had records of previous traffic violations over the course of a 14-year period of time from 2000 to 2014, across four states.
This type of personal injury tragedy is enough to rock multiple communities, including those here in Florida. When a tragedy like this one strikes, the families of the victims will have a hard time coping with their grief. However, there may be potential legal options that are worth exploring with the assistance of a professional.